When it comes to career advancement, a nonprofit is no different than any other business in terms of making sure the right person is qualified for the job.
Leading From Within (LFW) is a nonprofit based in Santa Barbara that provides training to help mid-level managers advance within their respective organizations.
To put it plainly, according to LFW Director of Leadership Programs Christa Roth, it’s meant to turn people into effective leaders.
What exactly is leadership?
“It’s the ability to engage people to move forward in a particular way that drives change,” Roth said, adding that there is no one style of leadership. “It’s the act of putting your values and principles into practice that drives others to greater impact.”
Generally, greater impact means to work more effectively together toward a goal, vision, or strategy, usually with a humanitarian angle, whether it be providing greater access to medical services in underserved markets or finding homes for the homeless.
Since 2008, LFW has served more than 250 leaders of more than 100 nonprofits, such as the YMCA, the Boys & Girls Club, the housing authority, CASA, Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, and the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County to name a few.
“We purposely do that to make sure that we’re diversifying and bringing leadership to the far corners of our county,” Roth said.
Even though the program’s primary audience is nonprofit managers, there are opportunities for community volunteers. One such program is the Katherine Harvey Fellows Program, which lasts 18 months and teaches leaders how to raise funds, how to engage in their community in ways consistent with their values, and to gain exposure to community leaders with diverse perspectives.
Other programs, such as the Leading for Community Impact program, last between 10 and 12 months. That program focuses on investing in leaders from North Santa Barbara County that representatives consider as having great potential. The rigorous program is in its first year, Roth said.
LFW also offers the Emerging Leaders Program, which is a 10-month program (one full day each month) designed to train the next generation of nonprofit leaders.
Each of LFW’s programs enrolls between 15 and 18 participants. Roth said that LFW has an alumni network of about 300 people with more focus placed on nonprofit needs in Northern Santa Barbara County because it’s a rapidly changing community.
“We believe the Santa Maria area is a growing and dynamic area,” she said.
Currently, LFW only offers training in Santa Barbara, but the nonprofit is building a new facility in Santa Maria, which Roth said should be ready in the early fall.
An information session for the Emerging Leaders Program, now in its fifth year, will be held on Oct. 25 from 9 to 10 a.m. in the Cornerstone Community Room at 705 S. McClelland St. in Santa Maria.
Roth added, “Community leaders need to ask themselves: Are they growing the next generation of executives for the future?”
For more information on the programs that Leading From Within offers, call 770-3232 or visit leading-from-within.org.
Highlights
• On Oct. 15, Santa Barbara County will hold its fifth annual Veterans Stand Down event. The event is designed to provide homeless and at-risk veterans with food, clothing, haircuts, showers, and medical, dental, and vision screenings. The event will also provide information about programs such as the Veterans Treatment Court, as well as information for housing and employment training. The Veterans Stand Down will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Santa Maria Fairpark located at 937 S. Thornburg St. For more information, call 757-8732 or visit sbcountystanddown.com.
Staff Writer David Minsky wrote this week’s Biz Spotlight. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, email, or mail.
This article appears in Sep 15-22, 2016.
